Superstition

Evgeny Kuznetsov turned the Capitals net around at the end of warmups to mess up Evgeni Malkin’s routine

Despite being on rival teams in the NHL, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Evgeni Malkin are good friends. But that doesn’t mean they don’t get cranky or mess with each other on the ice.

For instance, during a regular-season matchup in 2018, Malkin got ejected after screaming at Kuznetsov because, as Malkin explained later, “Kuzy spoke Russian” to him.

On Tuesday, Kuznetsov went to another level to annoy the second overall pick of the 2004 NHL Draft.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Caps superstitions: Nicklas Backstrom is now holding Jakub Vrana’s hand onto the ice for warmups

The Washington Capitals have a lot of pregame routines. Over the years it’s included biting, cup checks, butt slashes, screaming profanity, and lots of high fives.

One of the less-heralded, but equally ridiculous superstitions was done by Jakub Vrana and Madison Bowey. The two friends would hold hands going out to the ice for warmups.

But now with Bowey out of the organization, Vrana has found a new teammate to continue the tradition during the 2020-21 season: the very serious and professional Nicklas Backstrom.

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By Ian Oland 2 years ago

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Brenden Dillon brings more chaos to the Capitals’ already-chaotic pregame rituals

NBC Sports Washington trained an overhead camera on the Washington Capitals while they were in the tunnel readying for warmups in Winnipeg, Thursday.

And it’s… a lot.

The Capitals, who are known for already having an exorbitant amount of pregame rituals and superstitions, now have even more with the addition of Brenden Dillon.

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By Ian Oland 3 years ago

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Alex Ovechkin’s pregame superstitions are somehow getting weirder

When you’ve played 1,140 games in the NHL, things can get monotonous, which is probably why Alex Ovechkin is getting weirder with age.

The Capitals legend, who already gets his cup painfully checked by John Carlson during pregame warmups, is expanding his routines in the tunnel before taking the ice.

The Capitals tweeted an edited video of Ovechkin’s superstitions before the game and I hope you’re ready for this.

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By Ian Oland 3 years ago

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TJ Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Brendan Leipsic, and Radko Gudas do synchronized hops before start of third period

TJ Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom have a superstition where they slide and hop into each other on the bench to start a new period of hockey.

It’s a wonderfully dumb superstition and two new Capitals players joined in on the fun Thursday against the Devils: Brendan Leipsic and Radko Gudas.

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By Ian Oland 3 years ago

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TJ Oshie includes penalty box official in his pre-period superstition

TJ Oshie likes to start each period of a hockey game a certain way: by bouncing into his teammates on the bench before the start of play.

But on Saturday night against the Vegas Golden Knights, Oshie had an issue. He started the third period in the penalty box. At the end of the second period, Oshie took a roughing minor after taking exception to Brayden McNabb cross-checking Nicklas Backstrom. That didn’t stop Oshie from engaging in his pre-period superstition, albeit with…an unconventional partner.

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By Elizabeth Kong 3 years ago

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TJ Oshie leads pregame rituals while Alex Ovechkin provides sound effects

The Washington Capitals are playing their home opener Saturday night, and, thanks to Caps social media, we got a glimpse into the once-secret pregame rituals that take place in the hidden hallways of Capital One Arena.

TJ Oshie quarterbacks the play, but it’s Alex Ovechkin’s Chewbacca-style soundtrack that make it *chef’s kiss* perfect.

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By Brennin Weiswerda 3 years ago

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New superstition? Watch Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie bounce into each other on bench before start of play

TJ Oshie has a lot of superstitions to remember before and during games. Oshie already does butt slashes with Tom Wilson (and other teammates too while spinning), his puck juggling routine, his long jump into the tunnel, and his bewildering pregame screamfest with Ovi.

Now there may be a new wrinkle on the bench with Nicklas Backstrom.

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By Ian Oland 3 years ago

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These are the superstitions fans are bringing back to help the Caps go back-to-back

It’s no secret that hockey players are superstitious. They’re known to repeat specific pregame rituals that will make them feel more comfortable, and maybe more lucky, heading into games.

Last season, the Washington Capitals were very superstitious. Alex Ovechkin needed to bite Andre Burakovsky and Jakub Vrana before every game, Ovechkin needed to have a stool in a specific place for interviews, and someone from the team always needed to take a lap around the ice before road games (titled the “hot lap”).

I think we can all agree that sports are weird and they make us do weird things too. Personally, I was on a diet during the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year and I’m convinced that’s why the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup. Of course, this means that I need to do the same this year (I would give up two years of my life for Shake Shack right now). I’m going through everything I did and I’m trying to figure out what brought luck to the boys in red.

I am not alone in this endeavor.

Earlier this week, we asked Caps fans what bizarre superstitions they were bringing back from last year for this year’s playoff run. More than 400 people responded in what is our greatest Twitter thread ever.

Hey, Caps fans. What weird superstitions are you bringing back from last year for this year's playoff run?

— RMNB (@russianmachine) April 9, 2019

Will the below superstitions work? Who knows, but if we don’t do them and the Capitals lose? We will only blame ourselves.

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By Elyse Bailey 4 years ago

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An NHL tradition explained: Why your favorite players grow beards in the postseason

The Stanley Cup Playoffs have begun, but more importantly, NHL players’ Stanley Cup Beards are making their debut on the 2018-19 post-season stage.

Players all across the league will wait until their eventual victory or elimination before shaving a hair off their chinny-chin-chins. It doesn’t matter if their beards are sparse, luscious, or nonexistent–it doesn’t matter how much we want some of them shave it all off and save us the pain, ~~Andre~~–players around the league believe that not shaving during the playoffs will bring their team luck.

Hockey Hall of Famer and six-time Stanley Cup winner Bryan Trottier narrated the origin story of the playoff beard superstition in a cleverly cartoon-animated video by the NHL. Trottier traces the superstition back to his playoff debut with the New York Islanders.

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By Brennin Weiswerda 4 years ago

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